What happened on The Young and the Restless today? Recap for December 22, 2025

The Young and the Restless episode aired on December 22, 2025, showed emotional fights and changing friendships as old problems threatened to get out of control. Kyle found himself wondering if his romance with Claire had really come to the end, while Victor’s mean plans kept having an effect on everyone in Genoa City. Nikki’s strong move against Victor hinted at trouble coming ahead.

As the Newman family dealt with Victor’s trick and its results, friendships were tested in many ways. Claire challenged Victor directly, refusing to accept his justifications, while Victoria struggled to feel proud of her mother’s strength while also being scared of what it could do to her parents’ marriage. 

The Abbott mansion faced its own turning point. Kyle’s unsure feelings about his future became stronger, Jack dealt with growing stress connected to Victor’s long fight, and Billy showed up with bad news about Phyllis and Marchetti. 

The Young and the Restless recap for the episode aired on Monday, December 22, 2025

Nikki and Victoria react to Victor’s latest battle

At Society, Nikki told Victoria all about her huge fight with Victor, including the moment she threatened to leave him over the AI program used against the Abbotts.

Victoria was happy with Nikki for finally speaking up for herself, thinking it should have happened a long time ago.

Still, she worried that Victor’s refusal to change meant the warning might not be strong enough to stop him from keeping on. The talk left both women feeling nervous about what Victor might do next.

Claire confronts Victor at the ranch

Back at the Newman ranch, Claire spoke directly to Victor about the AI danger and his use of Newman Media to take advantage of Jack’s plan to protect himself.

Victor dismissed Jack’s concerns as paranoia and blamed him for his own downfall, but Claire refused to see it that way.

She asked Victor hard questions about why his hate for Jack was so strong, saying that Jack was mostly a good man even if he made mistakes. Victor answered back with a list of complaints, calling Jack manipulative and dangerous.

He then moved the talk to Claire’s private life, warning her that she would not find what she was looking for with Holden.

Victor doubted whether Holden was a good person and told Claire to take things slow, feeling happy when she said nothing serious was going on. Still, Claire fought back, reminding Victor that her dating choices were not for him to decide.

Victor warns Claire about the Abbotts

Although Victor admitted he was glad Claire’s involvement with Kyle was over, he issued another warning. He told her to stay away from the Abbotts completely, hinting that something huge was going to happen and that he did not want her caught in the middle of the fight.

Later, Claire told everything to Victoria, who shared news about Nikki’s fight against Victor. 

Kyle struggles with letting go

At the Abbott mansion, Kyle talked to Jack about a gift he had bought for Claire a long time ago. He thought about whether giving it to her would just look like another attempt at manipulation.

Kyle said that Claire seemed like a different person after her trip to Los Angeles and wondered if she liked that way of living better now. He questioned whether he was holding her back from exploring a wilder side of herself.

As his annoyance came out, Kyle said he did not know how much more time he could wait around. It felt increasingly clear that Claire was trying to let go of what they once shared. By the end of the conversation, Kyle faced the painful realization that ending things completely might be the best thing for both of them.

Billy’s news and Nikki’s shocking confession

Billy later arrived and dropped a bombshell, revealing that Phyllis was demanding Jack and Kyle sign over Marchetti to Summer in exchange for her help.

The revelation added another layer of pressure to an already tense day. After receiving a text from Nikki, Jack met her at Society, where she stunned him by revealing she had threatened to leave Victor and demanded his attacks stop for good.

Back at the ranch, Victor reflected on past moments, including Jack’s role in Nikki’s relapse and his most recent argument with her. Elsewhere, Kyle praised Billy for the positive changes he had made and expressed hope that his uncle would stay on this path.

With new challenges looming, Genoa City braced for the fallout still to come.

Catch The Young and the Restless on CBS and Paramount Plus.